A national study is planned regarding the use of information by 300-400 mental health agencies in 20 states. The agencies present major health organizations with discretionary power to formulate policy and to set priorities. The objectives are to test the role played by information derived on demand--online, quickly and exhaustively--in actual policy formation. Then will be taken into account motivations, values, and other personal and organizational forces (employing the A-VICTORY scheme) that affect receptivity to policy-making information. There will be follow-up regarding use to which the information was put and the action consequences. The staff will act as information agent for the mental health agencies at a time of critical organizational need for that information. We will accept direct dial telephone requests for information searches from agency principals. We will conduct "reference interviews", sharpening up key words and descriptors we will be using in our search. We will also conduct information "policy need and intention" interviews, to understand the reasons for the request for information. There will be later follow-up to ascertain how useful the searched information was; how relevant it was to the policy situation; the general policy outcome.